


Moonless Dark

by BloodFrost



Category: Kylo Ren - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Boys Kissing, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual kylux, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay, Gay Male Character, General Hux - Freeform, Happy Ending, Kissing, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylux - Freeform, Love, M/M, Music, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Short Story, Soft Kylux, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) - Freeform, The First Order, kylo loves hux, space boyfriends, supreme leader snoke - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 23:50:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11839593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodFrost/pseuds/BloodFrost
Summary: Another  Kylux story found in the vault of my resurrected Tumblr. A little arguing, a little thinking, a lot of fluff. It's odd how two grown people can have a crush on each other and be completely unaware of it, isn't it?





	Moonless Dark

"I'd appreciate a little less whining and a lot more focus to details, Ren. Boring or not, these meetings are part of your job. Maker knows WHY Snoke considers it to be so, but it is what it is. So, in the future, if you have nothing useful or relevant to contribute, I'd appreciate your cooperative silence."

General Hux and Kylo Ren were sitting in Hux's office in the late afternoon, after yet another droning meeting about the budget. Normally these sort of operations Hux handled on his own, but for some reason, Snoke insisted lately that Kylo Ren, if not engaged elsewhere, be involved in these normally solitary-led affairs.

And Hux had to wonder, whether this was Snoke's way of punishing Ren for some infraction or other--or whether he was punishing Hux himself.

It certainly seemed like the latter.

"Am I missing something? If I recall I said maybe two words at your little meeting today."

Hux calmly plucked a sent of paper from the always-present stack on his desk, and began reading it over. 

Ren was right, he had barely said a word during this latest meeting. But what he lacked in words he made up for in trickery. Objects had moved on their own, paperwork had been misplaced, windows had opened and closed on their own at odd intervals, the holo-charts had shorted out in the middle of presentations. And throughout everything, Kylo Ren had just sat there, his arms folded on the table in front of him, wearing a smile that Hux could picture perfectly despite the helmet that always sat on his head in public.

To Ren he said, mildly, "Silence of body as well as silence of words. Your little magic tricks are counterproductive and downright terrifying to some of those you unleash your nonsense on."

Ren glowered at him, and, glancing up, Hux noticed for the first time the dark, bruised looking patches of flesh directly underneath his eyes.

"If you keep referring to the Force as 'magic tricks', you'll find out first-hand just what terrifying is, General."

"You know if something is bothering you, we **do** have a counseling center. There's no need for you to act out like a child all the time."

"I don't need counseling; I need sleep," Ren muttered, rubbing his fingers across his eyes. "Don't you ever just feel, I don't know, tired?"

"Of course I do, Ren. I feel tired every night around midnight. Do you know how I cure that feeling? _I go to sleep._ ", Hux replied dryly. 

He had yet to look up from his papers, and for some reason this infuriated Ren.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, General Hux," Ren snarled, "Or I'll set everything in this room on fire. Including you."

Now Hux **did** look up and directly at him, but his face conveyed no fear; only annoyance.

"I don't have time for either tantrums or idle threats, Lord Ren," he said stiffly. "Unlike you, I actually have quite a bit of work to get through. So if you don't mind --"

Ren brought his fist down hard on Hux's desk.

"I DO mind!", he yelled, his voice coming out quite a bit louder than before. "I MIND that I'm trying to hold a serious conversation with you, and you're brushing my words off as if they meant nothing!"

Hux sat up straighter, his eyes not leaving Ren's face.

"Okay. Forgive me; I didn't realize that you complaining about your own poor sleep habits denoted a 'serious conversation'. I'll try to be more receptive in the future. But please, do go on. This," he said, gesturing towards the high stack of papers to his side, "Can wait."

Ren was glowering at Hux, shaking with slow-building rage at the redheads sarcastic tone.

To Hux's surprise, and probably to his own, instead of fighting back with more words, Ren simply grabbed his helmet and walked away and out the door.

\---

"Hello."

Ren said nothing, only raised his eyebrows at Hux in confusion.

He was standing at the doors of his quarters, surprised to see Hux, of all people, standing on the other side. Since their small row earlier, neither had seen nor spoken to the other.

"Apparently nobody ever taught you manners, Ren. It's incredibly rude to leave a visitor standing outside in the hallway, and not invite them in."

When Ren didn't reply, Hux brushed past him with a sigh into the brightly lit room. He went and sat down on Ren's sofa, looking at Ren expectantly. After a sigh of his own, Ren joined him.

Before Ren could speak, Hux pulled something from his pocket and set it down on the table.

"Here," he said, gesturing towards the little items. Ren picked the first one up and looked at it closely. It was a little reddish-gray capsule, square shaped, with a slightly gritty feel to its edges.

"What is this?", he asked, turning it around and around in his hands.

"It's a sleeping pill. No chemicals, all-natural herbs. Try it tonight; if it works for you, I'll bring you more."

Ren didnt know what to say. Hux bringing this to him was very nice, and Ren wasn't used to reacting to nice things. So instead of thanking him he picked up the other pill and asked "What's this?"

"It's a vitamin. Take that in the morning, when you wake up. It's supposed to revitalize the senses and perk up the blood. Seems like you could use a bit of perking up, lately. You've been moving around awfully slow these past few weeks."

Ren put the two pills back on the table and looked at Hux. "You noticed that?"

Hux shrugged his shoulders. "Well, its kind of my job to notice things. _All_ things."

"Why did you bother to bring me these?"

Hux chuckled and shook his head slightly. "Always so hostile and suspicious. A simple 'thank you' would do fine, you know."

"I'm being serious. Why?"

Hux sighed through his nose.

"You being tired is a problem. It makes you irritable and more apt to cause damage on my base. This is what I _do,_ after all, Kylo Ren. I identify problems and I choose the best course of action to fix them. Okay? Is that answer good enough for you?"

Ren nodded, taking the two pills and slipping them into his pocket.

"I suppose I should thank you," Ren said in a grudging tone.

Hux held up his hand in a waving-off gesture. "No, no need. Your smiling face is gratitude enough."

Ren laughed out loud at that, surprising both himself and Hux. The sound of it was unfamiliar to either of them, but contagious nonetheless. Hux couldn't help but join in, feeling his cheeks turn red with mirth as he laughed alongside Ren.

After awhile they stopped, and Hux took that as his cue to leave.

Before he could stand up, Ren said, somewhat awkwardly, "I don't have visitors all that often. Never, actually. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to offer you food, or a drink, or--something?"

Hux leaned forward and put his hands on his knees.

"Do you know what you could offer me, that would be a huge help to me?"

"What?", Ren asked, uneasy at Hux's sudden enthusiasm.

"You can let me stay here, for, oh, maybe an hour? Enough time to run through and respond to all my DataPad messages and files?"

Ren let out a breath, visibly relieved at Hux's modest request.

"Why?", he couldn't help but ask.

"Because, you just said, nobody comes to see you."

"I don't--"

"It's quiet. You don't have anyone pounding down your door and bothering you with things. I can hear myself think, here. I can concentrate. And nobody _knows_ I'm here."

Ren gave Hux one of his real, rare smiles, and got up and went into his kitchen.

"Request granted," he called out over his shoulder. "Just don't get used to it."

\---

Moonless dark.

Those were the two word that popped, unbidden, into Hux's mind as he tried to describe the night to himself.

Moonless, and dark.

It was very late, or early, depending on ones point of view, just going on 0100. There was a staffing conflict that Hux had been trying to work out in his head all day, but to no avail. As was often the case, sometimes a brisk walk around the outskirts of the base would clear his head sufficiently enough for a solution to make itself known. So he pulled on his heaviest coat and set off in the thick dark, walking through the small forest to the edge of the base. He was unarmed but felt safe enough; guards were posted all over, and this base WAS a highly secured area.

As Hux rounded a small thicket of trees and came upon a small clearing, he suddenly became aware of a shadowed figure up ahead.

Kylo Ren was there, sitting on the ground and leaning against a sturdy young tree. He seemed not to see Hux, and Hux thought he could maybe turn back the way he came, quietly, without detection; but before he could make the decision, Kylo was speaking into the stillness.

"That wouldn't do any good, General. I'd still he hearing that loud _mind_ of yours."

Hux walked up to him slowly, not quite sure of what to say.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Meditating," Kylo answered him, leaning his head back against the tree.

Hux frowned. "Isn't that what that expensive center inside the base is for? The one Snoke insisted I ignore the budget to have built for you?"

Kylo smiled at the ire evident in Hux's voice.

"Put your mind at ease, Hux. I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. But tonight felt like a decent night to be outside. It's beautiful out, wouldn't you agree?"

Hux glanced around and shook his head. "No. It's cold, and dark, and cloudy. And it smells like it's going to rain soon."

"Exactly. Beautiful."

Not really sure of what he was doing, or why, Hux lowered himself to the ground and sat gingerly next to Kylo. The cold from the ground ate through his pants immediately, making him shudder slightly.

"Doesn't the quiet bother you?" Hux asked him in a hushed tone.

"No," Ren answered, closing his eyes. "I _crave_ this, actually. The quiet. It's so rare that I have a moment when everything just stops and all I hear is the silence."

"I'm sorry," Hux said, not even aware that he was now whispering. "I shouldn't be bothering you."

He started to get up, but Kylo waved him back down.

"No, no, I didn't mean that. You can stay. You offer your own brand of comfort, you know."

"I do? How?"

"Your head is very singular. I don't know how to explain it better, but that's the word that comes to mind: singular. Your brain is always on First Order business. Tedious, but steady. Constant. You have no ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. Just, the same. Tedious but a comforting tedious."

Hux smiled.

"I'm not sure if you're insulting me or complimenting me. Either way, thank you."

"Both. And you're welcome."

The two sat on in silence for a while, listening to the low sound of the wind rustle through the trees and the faint steady gurgle of the nearby stream.

"Aren't you worried that some beastly animal could find you and attack you out here, being so far away from the base, and by yourself?"

Kylo shook his head and grinned. "I'm not by myself. You're here."

"I'm here now, but I wasn't before. And besides, I'm afraid there's not much I could do against a wild beast. I don't have a blaster on me and I'm not much of a runner."

"Exactly. That's why you're the best possible person to be out here with me."

"What do you mean?"

" **I** can run, and quite fast. You could provide enough of a tasty distraction to a wild beast for me to get away."

Hux started to laugh, and the sound of it rang shrilly through the trees.

"And even if you weren't here," Kylo continued with a sly grin, "I've got _this_."

He pulled his lightsaber from his belt and turned it on, throwing a humming ruby glow in the space around them.

Hux flinched back a little bit, in spite of his attempts not to. Ren noticed the movement and looked at him with mild irritation.

"Oh, come on, Hux; it's no where near you! I'm not going to attack you, you know."

Hux nodded, not taking his eyes off of the saber. "Be that as it may, I'd very much appreciate it if you kept that thing under wraps unless necessary."

Kylo sighed and switched it off, clipping it back to his belt. "I didn't realize lightsabers scared you, Hux."

"They don't. However YOU with a lightsaber scares me quite a bit. I've seen what happens when you get angry with that thing."

"Do I look angry to you right now?"

"No; but then again how can I be sure? **I** can't read minds, you know."

"No, I suppose not. Think of how much easier your job would be if you could."

Hux closed his own eyes and leaned back against the tree.

"I don't have to read minds to know what the the _majority_ of people think. Humans are no great mystery, you know. Everyone's the same, everyone thinks and does the same things. The only surprise, if you can call it that, is sometimes the 'when' of things varies."

Ren was silent for a long time, before he said, softly, "You're more of a cynic than I would have imagined."

Hux replied immediately with "I'm not a cynic; I'm a _realist_."

"Alright, Hux, you say you know what the majority of people are thinking. What am **I** thinking right now?"

Hux shook his head. "You don't fall into the majority, Ren. Unfair question."

"If you had to guess?", Ren persisted.

Hux put two finger to his temple and squeezed his eyes shut as if he were a Swami of old.

"You're thinking, 'General Hux is a lot more like myself than I'd have given him credit for. Two peas in a mental pod. It's no wonder Snoke picked us to work with each other."

Hux opened his eyes with a big smile. He had been joking, but the smile quickly faded as he got a look at Ren's face. Ren looked scared, almost terrified, as if Hux had scraped a window in his head and used it to peak directly into his mind.

Before either could say anything, a freezing cold drop of rain hit Hux's face, making him flinch. And then another. And then it was drizzling and Ren scrambled hastily to his feet.

Hux tried to do the same, but found that one of his legs had fallen asleep underneath him. He groaned and shook it out painfully.

"Help me up, will you?"

Kylo grabbed hold of both of his hands and pulled him to his feet. He yanked him up a bit harder than necessary, and Hux, legs still stiff, nearly pitched forward into his arms.

"Sorry," Kylo muttered, letting go as Hux straightened up and brushed off his clothes. Out of no where, he began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

Still laughing, Hux said, "I was just thinking I'm glad no one is out here to see this. General Hux and Lord Ren sitting on the cold hard ground in the middle of the night, in the woods, 'meditating'."

Kylo started to laugh too, as they made their way back through the trees. "Honestly, if anyone had seen, they'd just assume we were coming out here to, um, have some 'fun'; like the stormtroopers do."

Hux snapped his head around and looked at him. "What? Are you saying my men are out here cavorting around the woods, after hours?"

Kylo shrugged lightly. "Yes. I've seen it happen a number of times, now. Personally I don't see any harm in it; everybody's got to have some way to relieve tension, don't they?"

Hux nodded reluctantly.

"Besides," Ren continued as they picked their way around a boggy marsh area, "You forget how young most of the recruits are. Haven't YOU ever been young, and hopelessly attracted to someone?"

"Yes on the youth, no on the attraction," Hux answered, stopping to scrape some hard muck from the bottom of his boot against a tree. "And even if I had been, I'd surely find a better place to take that person than a filthy forest.

"The poets would say that a forest is just as good as a castle, if you're with the right person."

"Well it's a good thing I don't read poetry, isn't it?", he asked Ren dryly.

They had made it back to the gates of the base, where two guards stood strictly at attention. The rain had stopped, leaving a misty chill in its wake. It made Hux unconsciously pull his coat tighter around himself. Next to him, Ren did the same with his robes.

He and Ren looked at each other, and, absurdly, Hux found that he suddenly didn't _want_ to go back inside. He wanted to go back into the dark woods and sit on the cold damp ground and keep talking to Ren. And the way Ren was looking at him--it almost seemed as though he felt the same way.

But then again, that could have just been Hux's imagination.

As if to ascertain this, Ren turned away from him and said, somewhat gruffly, "Well. I suppose I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow, General Hux," and with that he was gone, walking quickly towards the gate. Hux stayed where he was and watched as the two guards bowed their heads and opened the doors for him.

Hux was about to follow, thinking of how tired he now felt, and how good his bed would feel. As he stood there, the clouds above him shifted, and a brilliant beam of moonlight came shining through and illuminated the ground all around him.

Hux smiled and shook his head.

 _Huh. Guess there **was** a moon tonight, after all._ , he thought to himself. He stood there a few moments longer, looking up at it, before following Ren's lead and walking back through the gates.

\---

"A music room? With all due respect, Supreme Leader, I feel this would be a bad idea. We are trying to breed soldiers here; not musicians."

The large gray hologram of Snoke smiled down at Hux in the way that Hux hated. It was a look that clearly said, "I know better than you, and no matter what argument you present to me, my mind is made up."

So Hux simply gritted his teeth and awaited the lecture he knew was following. Beside him stood Kylo Ren, masked and silent, standing at strict attention before the Supreme Leader.

Or maybe he wasn't. With the mask on, it was hard to tell whether he was asleep on his feet or not. Which he _could_ have been; Snoke's conferences with the two of them tended to stretch on for quite a long time.

The subject of this meeting was the latest batch of what Snoke referred to as "Soldier Satisfaction" surveys. They made the troopers, both the old hands and those in training, take these things once a month in order to evaluate whether training methods could be improved, or anything needed to be done around the base that would increase morale and productivity.

To Hux, these things were laughable. If left entirely up to him, he would tell the troops to stop complaining, and get your wire done. But as of the past year, ever since the defection of the one stormtrooper, Snoke had been taking things like opinions and feelings into serious consideration.

The latest wide opinion was that there should be a center on the base filled with music and various instruments, and instructors holos on which, during a trooper's recreational time, he or she could learn to play such things.

And, of course, Snoke was all for it. He stood here now giving Hux and Ren a long sermon about how studies showed that musical proclivity opened up new channels in the brain, which could possibly in turn make them better soldiers.

During this talk Hux kept glancing at Ren, and for the first time, he attempted to speak directly into his mind.

 _Ren, help me out, here. Say you think this is a pointless idea, as well. He listens to you more than me._

He waited for Ren to speak up, but when he did, what came out of his mouth was "I think this is an excellent idea, Master. I'll start the paperwork on this myself, first thing after my shift on the bridge."

Both Snoke and Hux looked at him in surprise, then Snoke favored his apprentice with that almost-fatherly smile.

"It's settled then. The two of you report back to me within three days. Dismissed."

As the giant holo faded out of existence, Hux turned to Ren, and it was all he could do not to punch him.

"Thanks, Ren. Glad to see I can count on you to back me up when I need it."

Ren chuckled and began to walk away.

"Sometimes I don't think you'd know a good idea if it jumped up and punched you in the face. And this, General, is a good idea. You'll see."

He left Hux staring after him in an annoyed anger. When he reached the doors, he actually started whistling, the sound of it coming out machine-like, yet oddly cheerful, through the distortions of the helmet.

\---

Hux strolled the hallways, making his final patrol of the evening before heading to his own quarters. He was on the 3rd floor, which was where they had built the new (and highly popular) music room.

Although Hux wouldn't admit it, he had come around to Ren and Snoke's way of thinking, in regards to the room. When he would walk this floor during the day, he'd purposefully choose to come by during the Rec time for certain squads. It was surprising, but there were actually some talented musicians in The First Order. Hux liked to pass by slowly and listen to the sounds of the various instruments being played by various skilled people.

However, as much as he enjoyed the sounds, there were still rules to follow. There was a curfew employed for ALL soldiers, and the music room was off limits past a certain time at night.

Coming down the hallway now, Hux could hear the sound of the piano being played, and he sighed. 2100. Definitely past the time for such things.

He paused outside the great metal doors, almost hating the idea of going in there and ordering the musician to return to his bunk. The mystery player, played _beautifully_.

Hux stood outside the door and waited for the song to end, then he steeled his resolve and pushed open the doors--and stopped halfway through the entryway.

It wasn't a stormtrooper.

Kylo Ren sat at the guilted gold bench of the piano, head bent, hands moving at what seemed an impossible speed up and down the keys.

He wasn't wearing his usual heavy robes and cowl; rather he had on what seemed like a lightweight tank top and a pair of black sweat fatigues, making Hux think that he had probably just come from either his personal gym, or training with Snoke.

Ren was so concentrated on the piece he was playing that he didn't hear Hux walking up behind him until he was right next to him. He glanced up and jumped a little, making Hux smirk. It was rare that _he_ could startle _Kylo_.

"What are you doing in here?", Ren growled at him.

Hux took off his overcoat and hung it on a peg on a wall. Then he came and sat down next to Ren, keeping enough space between them so that Ren wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

"I was doing my rounds, and I heard the music coming from in here. I thought it was a stormtrooper here after curfew. I didn't expect to see **you**."

Ren folded his hands in his lap.

"Go ahead, Hux, make whatever joke you're going to make."

"Joke? What do you mean?"

"That's what you mean, isn't it? I know my playing is horrible, and I'm very rusty. I haven't played for a long time, and--"

Hux reached across and punched Ren on the shoulder.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an absolute idiot?", he asked lightly. "Because that's not what I was going to say. It's not even what I was thinking. You play beautifully. _Almost_ enough to make me jealous."

Did Ren blush? Hux wasn't sure, since he wasn't looking directly at him. But it _seemed_ as though the pale flesh had some strong traces of pink.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Do you play by ear or can you read actual sheet music?"

"Either. Why, do you have a request?"

Hux pulled his DataPad from his pocket and scrolled through various files until he found the sheet music for his favorite song.

"I used to hear this all the time back on Arkanis. Some great composer lived there, and I guess this song is what you'd call my hometowns 'anthem'."

He set the pad down in front of Ren, who studied the notes of the song carefully. He stretched his fingers and moved them experimentally over the keys, his eyes going back and forth from the pad to the keys until he could play the intricate tune on his own.

Hux couldn't take the smile from his face as he listened to Ren play this fondly remembered song from his childhood. When Ren finished, Hux gave him a strong round of applause, and this time there was no mistaking the red of Ren's cheeks and neck.

Ren shifted from Hux's song to a song that had been very popular in cantinas when Ren was a child. Hux recognized it at once, too, and grinned.

"So, this hidden talent of yours? Did you learn this from one of the instructional holos, or--?"

Ren's fingers bore down slightly harder on the keys as he answered Hux's question.

"No. Han Solo taught me."

The notes continued to come harder, and, glancing at Ren's face, Hux saw that his expression had tightened considerably. He knew a change of subject was needed,and fast.

"Brendol Hux never taught me a thing himself," Hux said quietly, following Ren's example of referring to his father by his given name. "We had servants for everything when I was young, and I started going to boarding school by the time I was 6."

Ren nodded, and his hands relaxed some, allowing him to play normally again. "I started going to my Uncle's Jedi training temple at 7. I lived there with him and the other students all week, and be home on the weekends."

Hux murmured an "Mm hmm," then was quiet for awhile, watching the adept, skilled way Ren's fingers were flying over the keys.

"No," Ren said out loud, answering a question that had formed in Hux's mind. "Skywalker didn't teach anything other than Jedi skills. My--my mother would educate me in other things on the weekends. Literature, art, mathematics, science, politics. That's how children were educated on her home planet; by their parents. In a way, I thought that put me at an advantage over the other students who went to a public academy on the weekends. None of those teachers could have possibly taught me like she did. I've never met anyone else that intelligent, and I don't believe I ever will."

He sighed, unconsciously shifting into a more somber-sounding tune as he said, "Sometimes, Hux, sometimes I truly miss her."

Hux was quiet, but inside he was in a bit of awe at what was happening. Ren had just opened up to him about something that was clearly a painful subject for him. He had made himself vulnerable in a way that Hux hadn't suspected he COULD be vulnerable.

And Hux was aware that Ren's openness had opened up a channel inside of his own feelings. Empathy, compassion: these two wholly unfamiliar emotions came surging to the surface of his bloodstream.

Without being aware beforehand that he was going to do it, and completely unable to help himself, he found himself leaning over and putting his arm around Ren's shoulders, giving him a tight, somewhat awkward half-hug.

Ren involuntarily stiffened from the long-forgotten touch of human contact, both unsure of what Hux was doing, or how he should react to it.

It took a few moments for the tension to go away, and when it did, Ren found that he could relax the cold tense of his shoulders and lean comfortably into Hux's touch.

After another few moments, Hux removed his arm, but subtly scooted over until he was closer to Ren. Ren smiled, and continued to play.

He played far into the night, and Hux stayed at his side, listening.

\---

Agamar was hot, and bright.

This almost-barren planet was home to a tribe of nomads that practiced what Snoke referred to as "dark arts". They communed with the Force and used its power to influence their surroundings and their lives.

"Witchcraft," Snoke had said to Hux with a smile. "That's what they would have called it in ancient times. Witchcraft."

The tribe lived their lives in a harmonious balance with the Force and with nature, and did not often tolerate or appreciate 'visits' from the outside worlds. However, with Snoke, it was different.

Back when Snoke was still relatively young (it was hard for Hux to picture Snoke being anything other than the ancient being that stood before him today) and traveling, before he had come into any real power, he had developed a friendship with the matriarch of this tribe, a Madame Louseer ( and Hux suspected it was more than a simple 'friendship' judging by the way Snoke's face looked as he talked about her, but he declined to pry further into that than necessary).

The woman had maintained a friendship with Snoke through the years, even as he came into power. She had recently contacted him about a cave some of her tribal men had discovered hidden away in the barest part of the planet, and how it contained a great many rare gemstones and minerals. The tribe itself had no use for things of monetary value, but she knew that Snoke did, so she implored him to send some men and collect this abundance of free wealth.

Snoke had sent General Hux and a team of sturdy young recruits to complete this mining expedition. They had been there for nearly a week, and were nearing completion of their task around the 6th evening.

On that day, Hux stood outside the ship and watched as his men carefully loaded their treasure unto the ship. He was busily looking through his DataPad at the market value of the gems they had extracted, and possible buyers. All things considered, what they had would provide a decent little budget boost for at least a few months.

As he stood there, Madame came up to him, laying hold of his arm and speaking softly to him.

Hux put his pad away as she spoke. He enjoyed the presence of this woman, and listening to her speak. She was calm, and polite, and wise. She told him interesting stories, both of her tribes history, and of her past with Snoke. The latter was of particular interest to Hux; hearing his boss humanized in such a manner was eye-opening and fascinating.

But tonight she didn't come to speak to him of those things. Tonight, she wanted to do for him what she had done for a few of the stormtroopers: tell his fortune.

"Come, General. Let me read your palm."

"No, thank you," Hux said politely, backing away until he was touching the base of the ship. "I don't mean to be rude, but your particular arts don't hold meaning for me, the way they do for you."

The old woman smiled, and in doing so, her face suddenly appeared 10, 15 years younger. It was both charming, and highly unsettling.

"Ah, young one, it does not matter, for it believes in you."

She held out a gnarled hand towards him expectantly. Hux glanced around; his men were still busily loading the ship, and nobody seemed to be paying any attention to them. So, with a quick shrug of his shoulders, he stepped back towards her and peeled off his glove, holding out his hand.

She took it, and Hux experienced what felt like a jolt passing through his fingers and up his arm. He tried not to flinch, or panic, telling himself that it was just his imagination.

The old woman studied the lines in his palm in detail, using one long, bony finger to trace out each one as she spoke of them.

"You are a driven man with a forceful voice. A leader. You have always been a leader. But be cautious, young one; sometimes you tend to become blinded by your ambitions until you see nothing else."

She traced out another line with a frown. "Your life line is not steady. It splits off here," she said, showing where the line branched into a Y-shape into two separate directions. "A decision. A choice. The long path," she said, pointing, "Intersects with your love line."

At this point, Hux gently withdrew his hand and quickly pulled his glove back over it.

"If that's the case, Madame, I suppose I can expect the shorter path," he said, somewhat shakily. "Finding 'love' is somewhat of an impossibility for a man in my position."

The old woman shook her head stubbornly. "No, no, you have _already_ found it, young one. But your mind," she said, touching her fingers to his head, "And your heart," she said, pointing at his chest, "Are at odds."

Hux suddenly felt very cold inside. Standing by the ship with the scorching sun beating down, he felt his interior temperature plummet, making him shiver.

All of a sudden, it became too much for him. Everything. The scrape of the stormtrooper boots across the sand as they loaded the ship, the bright colors of the trees, the local townspeople who were talking to and aiding his men, and this woman.

This woman who stood before him, small, thin and wrinkled. Who smiled and spoke softly and read palms and was telling him things he didn't want to hear.

He meant to politely thank her, turn around and get back on the ship. To stay there in his bunk until their task was completed and they could leave.

He meant to, but found that his feet were taking steps towards the woman, not away. That the mouth meant to say a polite and quick goodbye instead had a question that his lips couldn't hold back.

"Can you see who this person is? This--this 'love' of mine? Can you?"

She nodded.

"Your energy, their energy," she said, taking her hand and Hux's, and bringing them together, locking them by the fingers, "Like this. Strong. Connected. I see, a very lost soul. Confused. Powerful and angry. And beauty. _Such_ beauty!"

She took her hand out of his, and reached up to lightly touch his lips. "The name is right here," she said softly, closing her eyes. "Fear. Fear keeps it locked inside. Fear."

Beyond them, someone was calling out for Madame, one of her own people. She shifted her eyes in that direction, then abruptly turned and began to walk away.

Hux stood still where she left him, feeling frozen to the spot.

"Wait," he heard himself call after her. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

"This person, do they feel the same way? About me?"

"Fear holds it back for _both_ ," was her reply; and Hux let her leave without calling anymore questions to her.

\---

"So how was it?"

It was later that same day, and Hux was in his office, writing out a report of how their mission went for Snoke. After almost an hour of distracted scribbling, Ren had found his way to the office, and was now sitting across from Hux.

"Snoke should have sent you, not me," Hux replied. "And take your boots off my desk, please."

Ren lowered his feet back to the floor with a smirk. "Why me?"

"The people there are practitioners of an ancient sect of magic. They, as Snoke puts it, commune with the Force."

Ren nodded. "I know that. So?"

"So, you would have had more in common with them than I do. More to talk about."

Ren shook his head. "That's why he sent you. I'm no good at being friendly or making conversation with others, even those I share commonalities with. Snoke needed someone polite and professional. Like you." Then he added, casually, "He still loves that woman, you know. That Madame Louseer."

Hux looked up at him curiously.

"He actually told you that?"

"No. But I sense it. His feelings change whenever her name is brought up. They become very soft. Gentle. And painful."

"Painful? Why painful?"

Ren smiled a little. "Isn't it obvious? It's a standstill. Louseer would never give up the quiet way of life of her tribe to come and live with Snoke. And Snoke would never give up all he's worked for to go and live on Agamar with her. Standstill."

"Hm," Hux answered, looking down at his paperwork.

"So are you done with that, yet?"

"No, Ren. I'm nowhere _near_ . . ."

Ren gave him a long, exaggerated sigh. "You take so long to do such simple things. Do you know what Snoke wants to read on that report? 'Found stuff, brought back.' That's it. Four simple words and you'd be done by now."

Hux chuckled and laid down his pen. He stretched and yawned.

"Maybe coming from **you** , he'd expect so flimsy a report. But from **me** , he likes details."

Another sigh followed by an eye-roll.

"Well, do you think the details can wait until tomorrow morning?"

"Why?"

Grinning, Ren said "I wrote a new song, for the piano. I've been practicing it all afternoon. I'd like you to come hear it."

"You don't write music!"

"Okay, true. I didn't 'write' it down, exactly; it's all in my head. Still. It's my own creation. Come and listen."

So Hux, heaving an exaggerated sigh of his own, got up and followed Ren up to the third floor to the music room.

They sat down on the bench and Ren began tuning the piano, testing out the different keys.

"Okay. Ready?"

Hux nodded.

Ren bent over the keys and began to play. A slow, soft, luxuriant melody began to unspool from his fingers and fill the small room with its humming vibrancy. It was unlike anything Hux had ever heard before; it called up so many emotions in his chest that he wasn't sure which to acknowledge first. Pain, anger, hope, happiness--it felt like Ren was playing out his life story.

Towards the end, the melody became very subdued and sweet, almost unbearably so. It made Hux feel like crying, and he struggled with himself to hold back tears he could feel just beneath the surface of his calm facade.

Ren finished, and turned towards Hux anxiously.

"Well? What do you think?"

Hux could barely think of a single thing to say.

"There is no way you just made that up. You're trying to fool me; that's just some song I never heard before."

Ren shook his head. "No. All came from my head."

Hux let out a sound that was half chuckle, half sob.

"Armitage."

Hux turned his head sharply and looked at Ren.

"What?"

"That's what I call this piece," Ren said, quietly. He wasn't looking at Hux as he continued, "Armitage."

"You--you're not saying that you wrote this for me?", he asked uneasily. His heart was thudding in his ears, and his palms had gone slick with sweat. He wiped themagainst his pants anxiously.

"I don't know what I'm 'saying', Hux. Im not even sure any more what I'm **not** saying. My head is confused."

Now he turned towards Hux and looked him in the face.

"You and me--", he started, then stopped, unsure of how to go on. "Can I ask you a favor?"

Heart still pounding, and now feeling slightly dizzy, Hux said "What?", in a breathless tone.

"I want--I need you to kiss me."

Ren!", Hux exclaimed, moving farther away from him, "I can't--"

"You--you want this too, Hux. I know you do. I can feel it."

"Whether I want this or not is irrelevant. We can't **do** this, Ky. It's--it's--", Hux stuttered, trying to like think of the right words.

" -- it's something Snoke wouldn't approve of?", Kylo supplied gently.

Hux nodded.

"You're right, he wouldn't. But why should he have to know everything that happens between us? I'm  
not asking you to join the Resistance; I'm asking you for a kiss."

"Kylo, I--"

"You think too much. Just kiss me."

"But what if--"

Ren cut Hux off by kissing him, himself. A _brief_ kiss. Nothing more than a peck on the lips, really.

"There. Was that so hard?"

Hux couldn't help but frown. "That was it? _That's_ what I was so worried about? That was -- it was so fast! It was --"

Ren reached out and grabbed Hux by the waist, pulling him impossibly close. He tilted his head and leaned in, kissing Hux again. Only this time was different.

It wasn't just **a** kiss, it was a series of very slow, intense compressions against Hux's lips. Kylo gently nibbled at Hux's soft bottom lip, poking the tip of his tongue into Hux's mouth, tasting him. Hux could feel himself start to shake, his body trembling with some primitive, long-suppressed need. He felt himself coming further undone with each kiss.

Exhilarating, and terrifying.

Whether he knew it or not, Ren had taken complete ownership of Hux in these few are moments. Hux's body, his senses, everything was totally within Ren's control. Ren could have told him to do or say anything, and Hux would have complied, without hesitation and without question. If a threat had needed to be made, all Ren would have to do was take his lips away.

By the time Ren finished and let go of Hux's waist, the redhead was gasping and weak. He realized that he had forgotten to breathe for a few moments there, and that combined with his pounding heart made him draw in long, calming snatches of air.

He was feeling a thousand different things at the same time, and for once, his words were failing him. He knew Kylo was waiting for him to say something, so he said the first thing to pop into his mind.

"Have you been eating Choclime candy-sticks?"

Kylo looked surprised, and then he started to laugh. "That's really all you have to say?"

"It's just, I could taste it."

"Apologies, General," Kylo said, rolling his eyes. "I won't eat anything beforehand, the next time. That is, if there IS a next time."

Hux didn't answer, and Kylo sighed, hunching down on the bench.

"Or maybe not. You seem really disappointed right now. I'm sorry, I know that was probably sloppy and awful, but I haven't kissed anyone in a very long time, and --"

Hux scooted closer (impressive, considering how close they already were) and put both arms around Ren in a soft hug.

Ren was warm, and solid, in Hux's arms. His body was comforting to the touch, and wonderfully soothing, in a way that Hux couldn't explain, not even to himself.

Eventually he let go of the confused Kylo, and stood up. He began pacing around the room, talking.

"I was scared because not only have I not had a kiss with anyone in years, I've never kissed a man before, period. I thought it would be some wild scary thing but that, _that_ was amazing. But all this time I've been telling myself that I don't care about you as much as I think I do, and you just proved me wrong and I hate being proved wrong and I know I **know** I can see the look on your face, you think I'm thinking too much but this is the way I am, and I want to do that again, I want to kiss you again and again but I don't want it to be **just** that, not sex because I'm not ready for that but more than just kissing for no reason, randomly, I want to be connected with you and be together, I don't know what it's called these days but I want to take you places and hold your hand and sit and eat with you, and kiss you, Maker I can't express how badly I want to kiss you again, and I want that to happen, and be real."

Hux continued to speak, pacing around and around Kylo, his thoughts becoming more confused, more frenzied as he went on.

Kylo sat staring at him, stunned, trying to sort through all of the jumbled words Hux was throwing at him, to make some sense of it all. 

By now Hux had finished, and was looking at Kylo anxiously, waiting for him to respond.

"I'm not sure, if you asked a question somewhere in there. But if you did, the answer is yes."

"Yes--?"

"Yes, I feel that way about you, too."

Hux smiled, and before he could stop himself, he threw his arms around Kylo in another bear-hug.

"Kiss me again?", he whispered shyly in Kylo's ear.

"Are you asking me, or commanding me?", Kylo whispered back.

"Whichever one gets me to your lips," Hux replied, smiling as Kylo leaned into him and granted him his wish.

This time when they pulled apart, Hux's shaking had eased off some. Some, but not entirely. Hux suspected, in some dim part of his mind, that the shaking in his soul would never fully go away, now that he had consciously committed himself to this course of action with Ren. 

And that was fine with him.

Ren took his hand and pointed at the window.

"It's cloudy out again. Cloudy, windy, and very likely cold. No moon."

"Awful."

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yes," Hux replied with a grin. "You mean through the forest?"

"I mean through the palace."

Hux rolled his eyes.

"Alright, dear. Let's go."

\---

SIX MONTHS LATER

"More," Kylo whispered, pooching his lips into a pucker.

"No more; I'm already an hour late, I've got to go," Hux said, jumping up and pulling together his clothes.

Kylo sat up and watched him, drawing his knees up and pulling the covers to his chin.

Without moving, he focused his energy and froze Hux into place mid-dressing.

He got out of the bed, holding the blanket around him like a cloak, and walked around to Hux's front. The angry look in Hux's eyes made Kylo chuckle.

"More?", he said again, beginning to kiss the redheaded statue. He dropped the blanket from around himself, pressing his naked body into Hux's semi-clothed one.

"More?", he whispered into Hux's ear, before kissing insistantly up and down his neck. Hux was still frozen, but now Kylo could feel the low trembling just beneath the surface.

He undid Hux's pants and dropped them to the floor.

"I'll tell you what, Hux," he said, beginning to nip and kiss down Hux's chest. "I'll release you, and if you STILL feel like you have to leave, you can go. I won't stop you. Okay?"

He released his hold on Hux, and paused mid-kiss, to see what he would do. Kylo was on his knees now, his mouth having worked it's way down most of Hux's waist.

Hux sighed, then he smiled.

"More."


End file.
